A steamy night ended, Annabel Buckner mustered herself despite the aching stiffness and exhaustion pervading her entire body.
She dressed in silence, descending from the bed. She turned towards the man, still damp with sweat nestled in the hollow of his neck, and said, "Mr. Allen, you have a social engagement tonight. It's time to head to the club."
Her voice was composed, her expression apathetic, as if the woman who had just slept with him was somebody else entirely.
A flicker of cold passes over Corey Allen's exceedingly handsome face steely as he examined the overly stoic woman before him. The chill in his voice is unrestrained as he commented: "Annabel, you seem to be getting more and more boring."
Annabel dropped her gaze into silence.
They've been secretly married for five years and she has long since clarified; that their marriage was just... a deal.
By day, she was his special assistant; by night, she was his sex partner.
Regardless of her role, neither seemed to require her to be entertaining.
In the face of Annabel's puppet-like apathy to his disdain, Corey felt an unspeakable repulsion.
He even doubted if he'd chosen the wrong person years ago.
His eyes narrowed in thought, he rose from beneath the covers and calmly began dressing in front of her.
As he passed Annabel, he suddenly leaned down to her ear, his seemingly enticing yet icy voice commanded, "You will accompany me to tonight's event."
Annabel's expression remained unchanged, yet she was taken aback internally.
Corey had never taken her to such indulgent occasions before, so why was he inviting her tonight?
"Follow me!"
He had already reached the door, his cold voice echoing by the door.
Annabel clenched her fists, recalling that their contract would expire in just over two months. She didn't want any complications, so she had to follow him.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the Empire Club.
Annabel trailed behind Corey as they entered a private room.
In the smoky room, several men were teasing several daringly dressed women.
Sitting in the center spot was a man and woman. The man was middle-aged, bald and fat, emanating the aura of wealth, while the woman was unexpectedly a popular female star of today. She had an exquisite makeup look, appearing innocent and gentle, akin to an entirely harmless little white rabbit.
The middle-aged man was holding up a wine glass, incessantly pressing the female star to drink.
Annabel unconsciously gave the female star, Aaliyah Wallace, an extra glance.
Seeing Corey walk in, Aaliyah immediately stood up, with a sense of finding a savior in her eyes. She rushed toward Corey, her eyes red, whispering softly, "Corey, you had an appointment for seven, why are you late?"
After she finished speaking, her misty eyes then fell on Annabel, who came in afterwards.
Aaliyah, surprised, asked, "Annabel, why are you here too?"
Annabel politely smiled and nodded slightly to Aaliyah, "Miss Wallace."
The people in the room suddenly fixated their gaze on the three who had just walked in.
When a woman caught sight of Annabel's appearance, she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, I never knew - Mr. Allen's assistant actually resembles Miss Wallace."
Others nearby also began observing and nodding along, agreeing the two women indeed looked quite similar.
Listening to the whispers of the crowd, Annabel quietly stood behind Corey, her expression calm as if she had anticipated their comments.
Indeed, if it weren't for that, Corey wouldn't have sought her out to be a stand-in and married her five years ago...
Just that over the years, Corey has protected Aaliyah very well, never once putting her and Annabel in the same frame.
On an occasion like today, to her knowledge, it was the first time that Aaliyah was attending a gathering like this.
The reason was that the middle-aged man who had just nudged her to toast was the Allen Group's most important partnership collaborator, and concurrently, he was also a fan of Aaliyah...
Noticing that everyone's attention had shifted to Annabel, Aaliyah lightly tugged on Corey's sleeve.
She politely said, "Corey, Mr. Dominguez wants me to have a drink with him. But, you know I have a low alcohol tolerance, and I'm afraid I might embarrass myself. I'm really troubled. Could you please help me speak to Mr. Dominguez about this?"
In the private room, someone had discreetly hinted to Mr. Dominguez about the rumors that Miss Buckner was the one that Corey cared about the most.
It was said outside that he was the one who made Aaliyah famous, and had once pursued her fanatically during college. That they had indeed been lovers.
But Mr. Dominguez, being a shrewd businessman and familiar with this kind of occasion, wouldn't lose an opportunity when presented. Why control himself?
After all, rumors might not be true.
But after seeing Aaliyah's gesture, he started to believe in the so-called "rumor."
Corey was the famous president of the Allen Group in Auldon, dominating the business world at a young age. To offend Corey over a woman would not be a wise decision.
Subconsciously, Mr. Dominguez's gaze fell on Annabel, standing behind Corey.
He was very keen on Aaliyah, but even without the Aaliyah, having her look-alike assistant would do.
After all, he had never had the opportunity to play with such a beautiful and well-behaved woman.
With a change in his thoughts, he picked up the wine glass and stood, repeatedly apologizing to Corey while...